At The Beginning
by Hyperteenager24
Summary: When Schmidt curses all those who stood against him, it is believed that Captain America died. Years later, Peggy Carter, at the end of her life, offers a reward to anyone who can prove otherwise. Two ex-brainwashed assassins come up with a cunning scheme to get this reward, unaware that the poor schmuck they'd chosen was more than what he seemed
1. Chapter 1

There was a time, not so very long ago, when we lived in an enchanted world. Elegant palaces and grand parties.

The year was 1945, and America was one of the most powerful countries in the world. We were celebrating the end of the second world war, and the end of the Nazi rule in Germany. And no-one shone brighter that evening, than our very own Captain America.

Steve Rogers.

….

"Peggy!"

Peggy Carter beamed as Steve made his way over to her eagerly. It was probably the last time they'd ever see each other before she went to Paris on a mission, hence the little present in her back pocket.

Neither of them was aware of the other man lurking near the edges of the party.

"Here…" Peggy pulled a small music box out of her bag and handed it over to Steve, smiling as his eyes lit up, "… I remember you saying your Mother had one of these."

"A music box." Steve whispered gently, not noticing how the man standing on the side-lines seemed to deflate, "How did you- "

"- One of the stores had it in the window, and I thought of you." She smiled as he opened up the music box, "I don't know what the tune is, but it sounds vaguely Irish."

"It is." Steve confirmed, turning his head slightly to hide the tears in his eyes, "My Mother used to hum this when she was cleaning." As the tune played, he softly started to sing, seeming to forget that Peggy was even there, "On the wind… across the sea. Hear this song, and remember… soon you'll be, home with me… once upon a December."

As Steve took a shuddering breath, probably at the memory of his mother, Peggy pulled out a small golden key, "Read this."

Carefully, Steve took the key, reading the writing on it. "Together… in Paris?"

Peggy beamed at him, "I spoke to Colonel Phillips, and he's agreed to sign you up to the same mission. You and all the commandos."

"Peggy… that's amazing!"

However, the joy didn't last…. And the pair would never be together in Paris, as a dark shadow fell over them.

And the shadow's name, was Johann Schmidt, otherwise known as the Red Skull.

Many believed him to be a holy man, but he was nothing but a fraud. Power-mad and dangerous.

"You lost Schmidt!" Colonel Phillips called out, as the German officer casually strode into the building, "Your government surrendered!"

Schmidt waved his hand in dismissal, "Consider this a… friendly visit Colonel." He then glanced over at Steve and smirked, "You must feel very proud of yourself Captain. A magnificent victory!"

"Yeah it was, wasn't it?" Colonel Phillips smirked, "Now fuck off."

There was a brief moment of tense silence, before Schmidt started to back away, "You need to learn some manners Colonel… by the unholy powers invested in me, I place a curse in all of you!"

The crowd gasped, and Steve found himself automatically reaching for the shield on his back… which he'd left back at the base.

They'd won.

He thought there would be no need for Captain America anymore.

"Mark my words!" Schmidt continued, "This perfect life that you have right now? It will end come crashing down within the next fortnight! I will not rest until those who wronged me are dead and buried! Forgotten by the world!" He then pointed at Steve, "Starting with you!"

There was a bright flash of blue light, and the chandelier fell to the ground, smashing into over a hundred tiny pieces, as Schmidt disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

…

Consumed by his hatred for us and all those who had stood up against him, Schmidt sold his soul for the power to destroy us.

…..

"Go…" Schmidt whispered at the blue cube, "… go and fulfil your dark purpose. Seal the fate of Captain America and those who stand by his side once and for all."

….

From that moment on, the spark of unhappiness in the world was fanned into a flame that would soon destroy our lives forever.

…

"I can help!"

"Steve, no!" Peggy begged, as the base started to be over-run by HYDRA agents, hundreds of them, all heavily armed, "We need to get out of here!"

But Steve wasn't listening, running to his rooms in an attempt to grab his shield and get in on the fight, grabbing the music box as he went.

As another man followed her into the room, just as she closed the door, Peggy wasn't ashamed to admit that she flinched at the sound of the large steel doors being blown open.

"Come on punk!" The man growled, grabbing Steve and Peggy, kicking the wall to reveal a secret exit, "You need to learn when not to fight! Come on, through here!"

In the struggle, the music box was dropped to the ground, prompting Steve to stop in his tracks, "Hey, I need- "

"- JUST GO!"

The secret door was slammed shut, and the other man pressed himself up against it, growling at the HYDRA agents that burst into the room.

"Where are they?!"

When the only response was to have things thrown at them, one of the soldiers darted forwards and knocked him out.

"Take him away…" the soldier ordered, "… he'll make a good soldier for HYDRA."

….

"We need to go and help him!"

"We need to help ourselves first!"

Peggy and Steve raced across the snow covered ice, running underneath a bridge in an attempt to get away, to try and reach the train station in time.

All of a sudden, Steve found himself knocked to the ground, forcing him to roll onto his back in order to try and defend himself. Seeing the red face snarling up above him, Steve felt a shudder run down his spine.

"Schmidt!" He growled, punching the HYDRA agent in an attempt to force him off, but to no avail.

"You will never escape me Captain! Never!"

During the scuffle, Steve slammed his foot against the ice, listening to it crack underneath them. With one push, Schmidt was sent sliding into the freezing water, one leather-clad, gloved hand trying to cling on, before it too disappeared underneath the water.

However, as Steve pushed himself to his feet, he failed to notice how the ice cracked underneath him until it was too late.

The last thing he saw, before he disappeared under the ice, were Peggy's scared eyes.

And then, everything went dark.


	2. Chapter 2

So many lives were destroyed that night. What had been, was lost.

The world mostly forgot about Captain America, but Peggy could not. She grew old, her body failing whilst her mind remained sharp as a tack. With every year, she got weaker and weaker, and with every year, her search for Steve's body grew more frenzied.

When the dementia started to sink in, it was no surprise that the search for the body, just turned into a search for Steve himself, with a large reward offered.

Nobody honestly thought something would come of it.

70 years had passed since that fateful day.

….

Natalia Romanova brushed through the crowd with ease, pinching whatever coins and food that she could.

Everyone was talking about it.

Was Captain America still alive?

There had been reports of sightings in the area and the theories were all building up. Frozen in ice until global warming woke him up. A clone. Long lost identical son.

The possibilities were endless.

Using the secret password to enter an abandoned looking building, Natasha crept up the stairs until she was near the top of the building. In a dusty old room, a shadowed figure stood near the window, staring out at the people down below.

"James." She cautiously spoke up, knowing that some days were better than others, "The next stage of the plan can go ahead. All we need to do, is find someone willing to play Captain America."

Silence.

"No more forging papers… no more stealing and lying to get where we want."

When the figure continued to remain quiet, almost seeming to ignore her, Natasha sighed. "I know you don't like the idea of having someone impersonate Captain America… but it's not like the rumours are true. It's not like we're going to find the real Captain America."

…..

Steve sighed as he left the hospital.

Almost two years lying in the same bed, unable to get warm and unable to remember anything about his past, and now he was being pushed out to make room for new patients. With only a gold chain and flat object as his key to the past, Steve made his way towards the city.

He had to be strong… he knew that.

Whilst he didn't remember anything about his past, he knew that there had to be someone looking for him. He knew he couldn't be alone in this world, and he knew that he wouldn't be complete until he found them.

And Paris, according to the golden charm on his necklace, was the place to start.

Unfortunately, without a passport there was nothing he could do.

Turned away from yet another ticket stall, the women on the other side rolling his eyes at his pleading, Steve rested against a nearby wall, fingers idly playing with the charm around his neck.

"Hey… Hey!"

Startled by the voice, he turned around, forcing a smile on his face as an old woman shuffled up to him.

"Natalia." She whispered, "You want Natalia!"

"And… where can I find her?"

"At the old town hall, you can't miss it… but you didn't hear it from me."

Steve nodded in understanding, turning away from the panicked looking woman.

"Natalia."

….

"Thank you!" Natasha groaned, resisting the urge to slam her head on the desk, as the so-called actor left the room.

This was going to be much harder than she thought.

That was the last one.

"You can't fake being Captain America." James spoke up to the side of her, having remained silent for the entire audition process, "It should come naturally."

"War makes people jaded, it'll be impossible to find someone not affected by all this."

When James remained silent, Natasha sighed. "There'll be someone… probably right under our noses. Don't forget, when we show Agent Carter the music box, she'll have to believe that we found the Captain."

As they walked down the street, they passed a large blonde man, with Bucky bumping into him as the other man asked for directions.

"I've heard rumours that Agent Carter is on her way out…" Nat continued, pulling Bucky away as he glared at the man, "… by the time anyone finds out he isn't the real Captain America, we'll be long gone, with the money."

…

Steve frowned as he finally made his way up to the old police station, taking in the boarded-up windows and doors, and the grime that covered the walls.

It looked like nobody had lived there for years, let alone was home to this mysterious 'Nat.'

The police had abandoned this place long ago, that much was clear.

Eventually, he managed to pull some boards free and climb inside.

….

Bucky tensed, eyes darting towards the door. "Do you hear that?"

Natasha was also tense, "Da… come on."

…

Slowly, Steve made his way into the main meeting hall, spinning around to try and take in all the details.

"Hello?" He called out, "Is anybody home?"

On a nearby table, sat dozens of antiques covered in dust and cobwebs, clearly remaining untouched for several decades. Taking a deep breath, he blew on a plate, wincing at just how much dust came off of it.

There was something vaguely familiar about all of this.

Slowly, he moved through the abandoned building.

"Hello?"

…..

In another room, Natasha frowned, glancing over at the doorway, "Did you hear that?"

Her friend was already on his feet and heading for the door.

…

Steve was lost in faded memories about dancing when the man appeared out of nowhere and attempted to tackle him to the ground, prompting Steve to panic and race towards the exit.

"Stop! Stop!" cried out a female voice, just as someone grabbed his arm, "Hold on a minute!"

As Steve turned to face the mystery woman, she continued.

"How did you even get in…. here." Her eyes widened as her voice trailed off, eyes darting between something behind Steve and Steve himself.

"Sorry." Steve gently muttered, removing the woman's hand from his arm, "I- " He frowned when the woman rushed to stop the man who'd tried to attack him, whispering something in his ear.

….

"Do you see what I see?" Natasha whispered into James's ear, glancing between the man and the portrait of Captain America, "Look."

"Mn."

James nodded, as the blonde man spoke up again.

"Are you Natalia?" He asked Natasha.

"Perhaps… it all depends on whose looking for her."

The blonde man beamed, not seeming to notice the warning tone in her voice, "My name is Steven. I'm looking for travelling papers. Apparently you're the one to see, even if I can't say who said that and- " He stopped, frowning as the strange man circled him, "- Is he okay?"

"He's fine." The woman made a sharp motion, as the man moved back to her side, "We were just noticing that you look remarkably like…" She trailed off, before shrugging, "… Well, it's not important. You mentioned something about travel papers."

It was no good alerting this newcomer to their plans. His reactions must be entirely genuine.

"Yes… I was hoping to go to Paris?"

What a stroke of good luck.

Where Peggy Carter just happened to have chosen to retire to.

Perfect.

"Paris… interesting. So, Steven, is there a last name to go with that?"

The man, Steven, winced. "I-I don't even remember. I've been... ill for a while, and the nurse said I probably got amnesia during my accident."

"So, you remember nothing before the… accident?"

Steven shrugged, "Sorry, but no. Is that going to be a problem?"

Flashing him her most winning smile, Natasha shook her head, "Of course not. I was just curious. Why Paris by the way?"

She didn't miss how Steven's hand flew to his chest, almost clutching at something under his shirt. "No reason… can you help me or…."

Natasha produced tickets with a flourish, "As luck would have it, we're going to Paris as well." Before Steven could take one, James spoke up.

"We only have three tickets. And one of them is for the Captain."

Natasha winced, forcing a smile onto her face… So much for keeping the new boy out of the loop. Thinking quickly, she sighed and nodded in agreement, "Unfortunately, that is true. We're going to reunite Agent Peggy Carter with the love of her life, her last dying wish."

Then she paused, scanning Steven from head to toe. "You know… you look a lot like him. Those eyes… those muscles."

"But, Captain America died over- "

"- We don't know that he died!" Natasha interrupted, "All we know, is that he went missing. You've heard stories of the serum, the same as everyone I bet."

"Actually, I- "

"- What if he was just lost. What if he lost his memory, forgot who he really was!"

She let the words sink in, pushing down a smirk as Steven's eyes widened in realisation.

"Are you trying to tell me, that you think I'm Captain America?"

Natasha held her hands up, "All I'm trying to say, is that we have seen thousands and thousands of men, up and down the country, and not one of them looks as much like the Captain, as you!"

Johnny Storm got close, but there was no way he'd be able to pass as Captain America.

"Just look at the portrait." She pointed up at the painting in question, cutting off any protests that Steven might have had.

"Not to be offensive…" Steven sighed, "… but I think you're both a little bit crazy."

"How?" Natasha frowned, "It's not like you remember anything of your past. Who are you to say you're not Captain America? You don't know what happened to you, and nobody knows what happened to him." She then pointed at his chest, where he had clutched at before, "You want to go to Paris, and it just so happens that the old love of Captain America's life now lives in Paris!"

Silence.

"Have you ever considered the possibility?"

Steven slowly shook his head, unable to tear his eyes away from the portrait, "That I might be… Captain America?" He thought to himself for a moment, before shaking his head, "T-there's no way I can be him! He was a hero, a national treasure, I'm just… Steven."

"Sorry then, but we can't help you." Natasha shrugged, "The third ticket is for Captain America and Captain America only." Grabbing James's arm, she pulled him away, ignoring how he stared at her in confusion.

"Wait for it." She quietly instructed, "Three… two… one."

"Miss Natalia! Miss Natalia, wait!"

Natasha couldn't stop the victorious smirk on her face, as she and James turned around. "Yes Steven?"

"If I don't remember who I am… then whose to say that I'm not Captain America." Steven bit his lower lip, "And if I'm not, then Miss Carter will know right away, and it'll all be just an honest mistake."

"But if you are Captain America, then you finally know who you are." Natasha shrugged, "Either way, it gets you to Paris."

"Right!"

"Then may we present, the honourable and noble, Captain America!"

In the corner of the room, a red light blinked.


	3. Chapter 3

"Captain America." Senator Pierce shook his head in disbelief at the footage he was witnessing, "Impossible! He's dead!"

Zooming in on the footage, he examined the image of the blonde man a little closer.

He was almost an exact double of the 'hero'.

It just might be possible…. Hydra's own research had proven that those with the serum could live through the worst of situations.

Maybe… maybe it was the Captain.

Locking his computer, he pushed himself away from his desk, heading straight for the elevator. Pressing a sequence of numbers, the elevator headed down, further down than anybody was aware of, until they opened up to reveal a room that looked like a Edwardian style library, fire roaring in the corner.

"Who dares disturb me!" A voice hissed from a nearby armchair, making Pierce shudder slightly.

"It's me… Sir."

"Ah, Pierce." The voice was calmer now, "Something has happened then?"

"… Yes. It's Captain America Sir. He appears to have… survived all these years."

"Captain America?!" The figure in the chair shot to his feet and spun around to face Pierce, "Alive? Impossible!"

"Apparently not." Pierce sighed, "We have camera footage of someone who looks remarkably similar to him. A little too similar."

There was a moment of silence, before the figure huffed, "I guess a curse isn't what it used to be…. I want him dead Pierce, before the Project can begin."

"Consider it done Sir."

…..…..

The train trundled along the track, as Natasha filled in the paperwork, giving James a worried look as the man hunched over in the corner.

He hated trains.

"Stop fiddling with that thing." James eventually snapped at Steve, "And sit up straight, you're meant to be a Captain, right?"

"I wasn't slouching." Steve sighed, clearly not wanting to get into an argument.

James didn't seem to notice that though, scowling at Steve, "I was only trying to help."

"… Were you in the army?"

"Yes?"

"What rank?"

"… Sergeant."

Steve turned to him and smirked, "Then as a Captain, I out-rank you. Leave me alone, I will sit how I want."

Natasha couldn't help but snicker at the look on James's face, "He has a point." She smirked, pulling out a separate piece of paper, noting another victory for Steve as James went back to sulking in the corner.

Later, when Natasha left to grab something to drink, James sighed wearily, turning to Steve, "I think… we got off on the wrong foot."

"Yes, we did, but I appreciate your apology."

"Apolo- who said anything about an apology?!"

But Steve had already turned back to the window, watching as the view passed them by. "Are you going to miss it?"

"Huh?"

"America." Steve whispered, "Aren't you going to miss it?"

James turned his attention to the window, before shaking his head. "No."

"But… wasn't it home for you?"

"It was somewhere I lived, end of story."

Steve winced, "There's no need to answer like that, I was just asking!"

"No, you were being nosy!" James snapped, just as Natasha came back, rolling her eyes at the scene that met her.

"I was gone for five minutes." She shook her head, "Couldn't you have behaved yourself for five minutes?"

"Me? I- "

Steve stormed out of the compartment, not saying a word to either of them as Natasha groaned.

"It's like… a boy pulling on a girl's pigtails because he likes her." She muttered, which of course, only made James curse, and storm out as well, leaving the door open.

Natasha sighed, moving to sit down and continue filling out the travelling papers.

"Last year the travelling papers were blue and now they're red!" She heard a passenger grumble as he walked by with his wife, as Natasha's head shot up.

And then she looked back down at the blue ink on the papers she was filling out.

"Papers! Papers please!"

Acting casually, she moved out of the compartment, quickly finding James. "This is what I hate about this government." She hissed, "Everything is in red." She then pointed at the blue documents as James swore, "We need to get to the baggage cart before the conductor gets here."

"We need to get the hell off this train!" James hissed back as they continued moving to the back, running into Steve along the way.

"Come on." James grabbed the other man's arm, pulling him along with him.

"What's going on?"

"Just come on."

They made it to the back, shutting the door behind them.

"Great." Nat sighed, "This is just great."

"Is there… something wrong?" Steve asked, frowning at where they were, "Is there something wrong with our papers?"

"No, no, no." Natasha shook her head, "It was just… James was feeling uncomfortable. He doesn't like people all that much."

Steve glanced over at James, who refused to look him in the eyes. However, before he could try and comfort the other man, the train suddenly lurched forwards, sending them crashing to the ground, the door ripping off it's hinges.

"What was that?!" James yelled.

"I don't know!" Natasha called back, "But we seem have left the rest of the train behind!"

As Steve and James struggled to get to their feet, Natasha rushed towards the engine compartment, peering through the window only to curse at the sight of the acceleration lever pushed up to the max.

"We need to get off of this train!" She yelled, forcing the door open, "Nobody is driving, and we are going way too fast! We're going to have to jump!"

"Did you say jump?!" Steve yelled, as James pried open the side door, only to see that they were going over a bridge and that the closest ground was far, far below them, "After you- " Steve stopped, noticing how James was on the other side of the compartment, eyes wide and terrified as he stared at the open door.

"We can't jump, so we'll have to separate this compartment from the engine room!" Natasha rushed back towards the engine, balancing on the mechanics that held the two compartments together, "Get me an axe or a hammer, something!"

Snapping out of it, James started rummaging through the boxes… and then he spotted the box of explosives.

"Come on! There's got to be something!" Natasha yelled, just as James handed her a lit stick of dynamite.

"… That'll work."

She stuck it in the mechanics, before her and the other two hid behind some boxes.

BOOM!

The engine carriage was speeding away as they then focused on getting the compartment to stop.

"The brakes are jammed!"

"Try harder!"

"WHEN I SAY JAMMED! I MEAN THE BRAKES ARE BROKEN!"

Natasha groaned, "It's fine, it's fine…" she forced a smile onto her face, "… we have plenty of track. We'll simply cruise to a stop."

The compartment then jerked sharply, as they all fell to the floor again.

When they next got up, they could see that the bridge in the distance was now completely destroyed.

"You were saying?" Steve couldn't take his eyes off the upcoming chaos.

James glanced around the compartment, before spotting some chains in the corner. "I have an idea! Steve, make yourself useful and come and help!"

Hanging out the back, James grabbed the offered chain, looping around the metal underneath the train, narrowly avoiding being taken out by rubble as he was helped back inside. He then shoved the rest of the chain out, watching as the hook latched onto a piece of the train track… and ripped it up.

Once again, the trio were sent tumbling to the ground, the compartment skidding to the side as it continued on towards certain doom, ripping up the track as it went.

"Alright, I think this is our stop!" Steve grabbed all of their bags, heading to the side door, which was now over slightly safer ground.

With a yell, they leapt out, landing on the slightly soft ground just as the engine compartment and their compartment came to the end of the track, falling to the ground far below with a loud BOOM.

"I hate trains." James muttered, "Remind me never to take a train again."

…

"What do you mean, it failed?!" The figure hissed, "You assured me it was a fool proof plan. That your agents would be able to do the job."

"It was unfortunate, yes, but- "

"- If remember the Hydra of old being so much more efficient."

Pierce straightened up. "We won't fail you again."


End file.
